Container for liquid substances that includes a cannula with easy-open cap

ABSTRACT

The container for liquid substances consists of a vessel containing said substance, of suitable dimensions for the liquid to be dispensed, which ends in an elongated cannula with a cylindrical or slightly tapered outer configuration, wherein the closed end of the cannula has a thinner section to which the body of the cap is joined, which is of a larger diameter than the cannula itself, the free end of the cap ending in a gap, in the axis of which there is an appendage that forms an annular cavity between said appendage and the walls of the body of the cap, which will close the end of the cannula once opened.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention consists of a container for liquid substances that includes a cannula with easy-open cap, in particular for containing food or medicinal solutions for application in both humans and animals, which has a simple manual opening by means of easy manual detachment by the user and once the cap has been detached it can be safely and firmly placed on the end of the cannula that has been opened, thus making it possible to dispense said solid substances contained therein.

Containers of this type are widely used as containers of doses for animal insemination, where the same container can contain several doses of insemination liquid and it is necessary to close the container between one dose application and the next to prevent contamination or loss of the seminal liquid.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Spanish utility model ES-U-1057258, by the same applicant, relates to a container with reinforced cannula and easy-open cap, wherein the end of the cannula has a conical countersunk body that is joined to a closure that is moulded onto the end of the cannula.

This device has an easy-open body on the end of the cannula, which can be detached along the circumferential break line on the end of the cannula. To close the cap once said cap has been detached from the cannula this end of the cannula must be pushed into the body of the cap, which is made more difficult as it is of smaller dimensions than the end of the cannula and, even though the cap and the cannula do not have exactly the same dimensions, the cap can be very easily detached.

The proprietor of this invention is also the proprietor of Spanish utility model ES-U-1057259, which relates to a cannula with easy-open cap, this cap being formed by a hollow annular body, inside which there is a conical appendage that is inserted into the end of the cannula. From the outside this cap is peripherally joined to the body of the cannula, requiring, due to this large joint surface between the cap and the cannula, large radial flanges that provide support as the cap is opened. Since the cap is peripherally welded to the cannula, it is necessary to apply a high degree of torque in order to detach the cap from the cannula, which often causes the flanges to break or the cannula to break at the level of the closure, which can be more serious, as it means that the cannula cannot be closed again with this cap.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention relates to a cannula with easy-open cap for containers of liquid substances, in particular food or medicinal solutions, for application in both humans and animals, and especially its use in containers of insemination doses for animals.

This container for liquid substances consists of a vessel container of said substance, of appropriate dimensions for the liquid to be dispensed, which can house a liquid that is to be used in doses, for which it must be possible to close said container on subsequent occasions once it has been opened, thus preventing contamination of the remaining liquid contained therein or accidental spillage thereof. This vessel ends in an elongated cannula with a cylindrical or slightly tapered outer configuration, wherein the closed end of the cannula has a thinner section to which the body of the cap is joined, which is of a larger diameter than the cannula itself, the free end of the cap ending in a gap, in the axis of which there is an appendage that forms an annular cavity between said appendage and the walls of the body of the cap.

Both the body and the cannula can take the form of a single body or several inter-connectable parts, preferably being made from plastic materials such as polyethylene, etc.

The thinner section closes the end of the cannula and is easy to break manually, as the plastic at that point is of a small diameter that is just enough to secure the body of the cap. This thinner section can be broken simply by rotating the cap on the cannula, requiring very little effort to break the thinner section and open the end of the cannula once the thinner section has been broken. To aid this rotation of the cap, the outside of the body of the cap can have peripheral ribbing, knurling or any means that helps the user to grip said cap.

Once the cap has been detached, as the thinner section is broken this cap can be attached by its opposite end to the thinner section on the open end of the cannula, for which the central appendage of the cap is inserted into the body of the cannula, whilst the inner walls of the body of the cap fit onto the outer surface of the body of the cannula, firmly fastening the cap to the cannula and enabling the subsequent use of the contents of the container, without the risk of contamination or accidental spillage thereof.

The outside of the cap can be tapered or cylindrical, either of these configurations being suitable for its correct use.

The appendage on the body of the cap is conical or tapered, so that the further this appendage penetrates into the hole in the cannula, the greater the pressure with which the cap is fastened to the cannula, thus impeding the accidental detachment thereof and possible spillage of the contents of the container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

To complement this description and in order to aid a better understanding of the invention's characteristics, there is a set of illustrative and non-limiting drawings integral to said description, which are as follows:

FIG. 1 shows an elevation view of the container of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a detail of the joint between the end of the cannula and the cap before they are separated.

FIG. 3 shows a detail of the joint between the end of the cannula and the cap once they have been separated.

FIG. 4 shows a detail of the end of the cannula closed by the cap once it has been detached.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows the container (1) for liquid substances, in particular food or medicinal solutions for application in both humans and animals, which consists of a vessel (2) containing said substance, which ends in an elongated cannula (3) with a cylindrical or slightly tapered outer configuration and between them is the cone-shaped adaptive area (4) that aids the flow of the liquid contained in the vessel towards the cannula (3). The closed end of the cannula (3) has a thinner section (6) to which the cap (5) is joined.

To make it easy to use, this entire body can be made from a single piece of plastic, although the vessel (2) and the cannula (3) could be separate bodies that can be screwed together, as is the case in Spanish utility model ES-U-1057259. However, it is highly recommendable that the cannula (3), thinner section (6) and cap (5) should be made from the same plastic material by injection, thereby preventing leakages from the body of the cannula (3).

FIG. 2 shows a detail of the joint between the end of the cannula (3) and the cap (5) before they are separated and while they are joined the thinner section (6) closes the end of the cannula (3), which is easy to break manually, the breaking of the thinner section (6) opening the end of the cannula, out of which the liquid contained in the vessel will flow through the hole in the cannula (9).

FIG. 3 shows the detail of the same elements as in FIG. 2 but once the cap (5) has been separated from the body of the cannula (3) and how the thinner section (6) is adhered to the body of the cap (5), thus freeing the hole in the cannula (9) and allowing the liquid contained in the vessel (2) to flow out.

FIG. 4 shows how, once the cap (5) has been separated from the body of the cannula (3) when the thinner section (6) is broken, this cap (5) can be attached by the end opposite the thinner section to the open end of the cannula, as it includes an appendage (8) on the axis of the cap, which will preferably be conical or tapered and which is inserted through the hole in the cannula (9), whilst an annular hole (7) is defined between appendage on the cap (8) and the body of the cap (5) into which the end of the cannula (3) is inserted, being pressed against the walls of the cap (5).

With this arrangement the container (1) can include several doses and one of the doses can be dispensed once the cap has been opened, the cap closing the cannula (3) and preventing accidental spillage of the liquid contained therein, it being pushed on to close the container after each dose is dispensed, thus allowing the use of multiple doses and preventing contamination thereof or accidental spillage due to the cap becoming detached.

The outside of the cap can have (5) ribbing, knurling or any means that helps the user grip it, making it easier to detach the body of the cap from the cannula and the outside of said cap (5) being either cylindrical or tapered. 

1. A container for liquid substances comprising a cannula with easy-open cap, in particular for containing food or medicinal solutions for application in both humans and animals, which consists of a vessel container of said substance which ends in an elongated cannula with a cylindrical or slightly tapered outer configuration, characterised in that the closed end of the cannula has a thinner section to which the body of the cap is joined, the free end of said cap ending in a gap, in the axis of which there is an appendage that forms an annular cavity between said appendage and the walls of the body of the cap.
 2. The container for liquid substances that includes a cannula with easy-open cap according to claim 1, characterised in that the thinner section closes the end of the cannula, which is easy to break manually, the breaking of the thinner section opening the end of the cannula.
 3. The container for liquid substances that includes a cannula with easy-open cap according to claim 1, characterised in that, once the thinner section has been broken, the cap can be attached to the open end of the cannula by the end opposite the thinner section.
 4. The container for liquid substances that includes a cannula with easy-open cap according to claim 1, characterised in that the central appendage of the cap is inserted into the body of the cannula, whilst the inner walls of the body of the cap fit onto the outer surface of the body of the cannula.
 5. The container for liquid substances that includes a cannula with easy-open cap according to claim 1, characterised in that the appendage on the body of the cap is tapered.
 6. The container for liquid substances according to claim 1, characterised in that the appendage on the body of the cap is conical.
 7. The container for liquid substances that includes a cannula with easy-open cap according to claim 1, characterised in that the outside of the cap has a means of helping the user to grip it. 